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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26675110">10 Punches</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeremy_russell/pseuds/jeremy_russell'>jeremy_russell</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boston, Cheesy, Dex is a mess, Hockey is vaguely associated in this work, M/M, Nursey didn't go to college with the boys, Nursey is a mess, Trader Joes, like if you squint - Freeform, record players</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:20:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26675110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeremy_russell/pseuds/jeremy_russell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will is a too-busy workaholic with unresolved grief.</p>
<p>Derek is a flighty wannabe globetrotter with an escapism streak. </p>
<p>What could go wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>10 Punches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Greetings, all!</p>
<p>I'm going to be upfront with y'all-- this will be cheesy. </p>
<p>I wanted to share this first chapter to see if it is something y'all would be interested in and if I should continue it. I have the entire story mapped out and I wouldn't mind having this outlet to work on when I need to not do my actual job. </p>
<p>Let me know! </p>
<p>JR</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will could tell that the sun was up through his closed eyelids. There was the tell-tale, vaguely orange light pushing through the thin skin covering his eyes. He didn’t want to wake-up, though, so he turned away from the window and pulled the comforter over his head. It was a Sunday, he guessed, he could sleep in a little. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In what felt like an instant but was really an hour, someone sitting at the foot of the bed woke Will up and began talking to him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“--last night was fun--” he blinked blearily, trying to identify where this voice was coming from, “--have a few errands to run--”. He looked up and saw it was a man he didn’t know. This guy looked nice enough, but that didn’t stop Will from cursing him in his head. It was a Sunday, maybe, and he should be sleeping in. He rolled over onto his back and rubbed at his eyes with the base of his palms. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you need an Uber? Or Lyft?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will huffed out a breath, sat up, and looked at this guy, “I’m fine. Just give me 5 minutes?” He knew his tone was a little harsh and winced inwardly. He was trying to work on that. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>His bed guest got the hint, however, and let himself out of what Will assumed was his own bedroom. Will uncovered himself from the comforter and swung his legs onto the floor. He was naked and from what he could see by pressing his chin into his neck, had some hickeys on his chest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He rolled his eyes, pushed himself up off of the bed, and strode over to where his backpack was sitting next to his host’s desk. On the short walk over, he picked up his shorts from last night and his t-shirt. Momentarily, he panicked wondering where his underwear was when he realized he hadn’t worn underwear last night in the event something like this would happen. Which it did. Obviously. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will stepped into his shorts, khakis with a tiny inseam Bitty made him buy the last time he came to visit, and a Red Sox shirt he wore when he had played fall ball as a 10-year-old. The shirt, now 15 years old, had a few holes in it-- one at the bottom hem of the shirt and one in the left armpit. But it fit his frame tightly and always got him compliments from whatever potential suitor he was chatting up that night.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His phone was at the bottom of his backpack and he dug it out. It was dead, so he fished out a power block he kept in his bag, for situations like this. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He placed the phone and the charger on the desktop and began to pull on his socks, then his hi-tops. Right sock, right shoe, left sock, left shoe-- like he always had done for as long as he had the capacity to put on his own socks and shoes. Probably before he had the capacity if he’s being honest. He can recall yelling at his mother to do this same pattern when she would put on his shoes for him. He then cringed at the memory of him yelling at his mother. Then he cringed at his entire existence. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The cringe-spiral was interrupted by his phone buzzing alive. Notifications began slowly rolling in, one by one. Before checking any of these, he opened Uber and called a car for himself. He then zipped up his backpack, threw it onto his left shoulder, and headed out of the bedroom. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>///</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was then he realized two things: first, he had not been aware of the bedroom he was just in at all. For all he knew it could have been a sex dungeon or a tastefully decorated hotel room. He hadn’t closed the door yet, but it’d be weird to look back into it...right? So, he cracked the door open a little and peeked back in with a craned neck. From his limited perspective, he saw a tacky wallpaper border near the top of the walls that had general sports paraphernalia on it, a significantly sized Boston Bruins logo on the wall, and what looked to be the contents of a YMCA trophy case displayed on beaten up shelves above a beaten up dresser that had bumper stickers with all the different New England sports teams on it. It was then he saw the door he was exiting was covered in even more stickers of these sports teams.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Where <em> the fuck </em> am I?” Will thought to himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was when his second realization hit him-- the hallway he was deposited into was very Joanna Gaines. There was half a windmill on a shiplap wall, for chrissakes. He slowly meandered down the hallway on a bespoke runner and noticed the graduation portraits hanging on the wall. There was a girl and then three boys, all smiling in graduation regalia, hanging on the wall. The relief was slight when he recognized his partner from last night in the last portrait on the wall. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stared at the tassel attached to his hat and saw it said 2019. “Wow,” he mouthed. He hadn’t thought this guy was that young. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>///</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He then entered a living-dining-kitchen combo room and that’s where he found his hook-up from last night. Looking at him in the broad daylight, Will realized he hadn’t done terribly for himself. He was young-- like, <em> young </em>young-- but, damn, this kid was cute. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As he was admiring his host and about to thank him, a door next to the fridge opened. He immediately deduced this was the door to the garage. A woman in a white tennis dress burst in. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“John David, I was just on the phone with Dr. Greene, they have an opening for you tomorrow for a teeth cleaning. You’re going.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will’s admiration suddenly switched to being slack-jawed, most likely prompting this woman to realize he was there. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, you must be the homosexual John David had over last night! Hi, I’m Wendy,”  she reached out a manicured hand in the way women of class reach out their hands, palm facing downward, assumedly so the person their greeting can admire any jewelry and spark small talk about the casual $15,000 bracelet on their wrist. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will shook the hand and she continued, “John David didn’t tell me you’d be spending the night. Did he offer to make you breakfast?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, ah, but, he did offer to call an Ub-- you know what, this is really awkward and I think I should probably go,” Will started walking backward toward what he hoped was the front door. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nonsense!” she started, “John David, why didn’t you offer to make this nice homosexual breakfast? You know your father and I are fine with you bringing your hook-ups here as long as you host them with good manners.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know, mom,” John David, as he was allegedly called, rolled his eyes, “I tried, but he slept-in kind of late.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, I see,” she winked at Will, walked over to her son, and began rubbing him on the shoulder, “did my little man here tire you out?” She continued to wink at Will, so much so that Will thought worried this was possibly a stroke. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Again, this was-- still is-- incredibly awkward and I’m going to head--I’m leaving, um, John David, thank you for--thank you, think about maybe setting up some boundaries. Okay, I’m leaving now, goodbye.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He pushed through the front door and walked to the end of their driveway. He exhaled and wondered where the fuck his Uber was. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sat on the curb and opened his phone to check where Daniel, his Uber driver, was. He then heard, “Hey, my mom wants to know if you’d like a cup of coffee? At least? Before you go? Since I didn’t offer breakfast?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>///</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will’s sips were the only things breaking the somewhat awkward silence between him and John David on the front porch. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is really good coffee.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks, I wouldn’t know, I don’t drink the stuff,” John David posited before taking a sip out of his mug. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Really? What’s in your mug, then?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s--it’s chocolate milk.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Choc-- okay-- John David, how <em> old </em> are you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I turn 20 in August.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, 19.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yea, but I turn 20 in August.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But like, right now, you’re 19, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah. Why? I thought you knew. It’s on my Grindr profile.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nobody pays attention to that shit on there. It’s all lies anyway. Mine says I’m a verse-top.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, John David!” came from across the street. An older woman in a large straw hat was carrying a hose towards her hydrangeas. Will wondered why he had possibly the slowest Uber driver on the face of the planet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, hey, Mrs. Prince! How are you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m just fine, John David. Watering my hydrangeas, you know they're finicky. Who’s that with you? Another homosexual? Did you sleep with this one, too?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, my god,” Will muttered under his breath. He crossed his arms and brought up a hand to worry his forehead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is--” John David started. He then turned to Will and whispered, “what’s your name?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s Will,” Will said, unsure why he offered that up so willingly. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This is Will, Mrs. Prince,” Will raised the hand he had on his forehead in a slight wave and looked up at John David’s neighbor, “he’s also a homosexual, yes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t be ashamed, honey,” she yelled, looking straight at Will, “John David is nothing to be ashamed about! I tried getting him and my granddaughter together before I realized he goes for the sausage and not the eggs if you know what I mean.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sure do.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Daniel, thankfully, chose that time to roll up in a gray sedan. Will handed off the mug to John David and moved quickly to the car. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks, thank--thank you,” he said, looking over his shoulder. He got to the car and opened the rear passenger door. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It was nice to meet you, Will! Sit on some ice, it should help with the soreness.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thank you, Mrs. Prince, I’ll--I won’t be doing that, but thank you,” he began ducking into the car and popped his head back out, “your hydrangeas are lovely.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once safely inside Daniel’s sedan, Will settled in. Daniel drove off in the vague direction of home. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>///</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will then decided to dive into his notifications. After a night like this, he knew there was an order of operations to go in, from most damage control to least damage control.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He tapped to his messages and saw there were 63 unread messages in 5 different conversation threads. As he was trying to decide which to start with, he noticed Daniel’s eyes in the rearview. He shouldn’t have. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, Will. How are you this morning, buddy?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why did he always get chatty Uber drivers?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” he curtly responded. He then saw Daniel’s eyes again looking between him and the road. This man was providing him a service and he would have to be nice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How are you, Daniel?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh man, I’m great. Bruins won last night, the missus made pot pie, my boy Danny found out he got into Bunker Hill CC, so pretty fucking awesome.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s gre-that’s awesome, Daniel,” how much more small talk did he have to eke out before they could sit in cold, yet appreciated, silence? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, DJ, that’s my boy, Daniel, Jr., tried really hard, ya know, school was never his thing, really. I’m just proud of him getting into <em> a </em>school, ya know. I never went. Biggest regret of my life. I thought I was gonna get drafted by the Sox outta high school, so I didn’t really apply anywheres, but I didn’t get drafted, so I started working down at the factory. Tried out every year for the Sox at their open try-outs. Never made it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will stared intently at his phone, taking in all of this unsolicited information.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How about you? You go to college?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will was still staring wide-eyed at his messages, trying to decide whose to read first, but to no avail. He locked his phone and looked up at Daniel in the rearview. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I did. I did go to college.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, that’s nice. Where’d you go?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I went to--”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No wait, lemme guess. Ahh--UMass? Amherst? Ahh--BC?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That wasn-- those weren’t guesses, you just named three schools. And none of those.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ahh, damn. Ahh, Northeastern? Harvard?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Samwell. I went to Samwell.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh that the next one I was gonna say! I swear!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sure.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, a Wellie, huh? Pretty fancy up there, huh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It was a nice campus, yes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya know, my neighbor’s second wife had a nephew who went there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, really?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya! I can’t remember his name for the life of me. Maybe you knew him?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was the wrong answer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ahh, I can’t believe I forgot his name. Here lemme call my neighbor.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s--that’s not nece--”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hello?” a muffled voice came through the connected Bluetooth audio of the car. WIll began to worry his right eyebrow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Benny! It’s Danny you fucking moron. What’re you up to?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m washing my hair, what the fuck do you think I’m doing? I’m watching re-runs of the Sox.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, Friday’s game? Turn it off after the 6th, fucking Bard comes in and gives up 5 fucking runs.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know, I’m not a fucking idiot, I watched the whole thing Friday. Cora don’t know what the fuck he’s doing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not at all. <em> He’s </em> the fucking idiot here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Both men share a hearty laugh. Will stares out the window of the car trying to make eye contact with someone to save him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Listen, Benny, I got this guy in my car, his name is Will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya got a guy in ya car? Why the hell do ya have a guy in ya car?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m driving for Uber now, you know this ya fucking moron.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, that’s right. How’s that going by the way?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, it’s great, Ben! I only had one chick throw up the back of my car last night, but the McDonald’s bag covered most of it and I just sprayed some of that Febreeze, and ya can’t tell at all.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At the mention of throw up, Will began to search the back cabin of the car. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised when he saw the McDonald’s bag on the floor. He also immediately wished Danny was lying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Excuse me, someone threw up back here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who was that?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, that’s Will,” Daniel then eyed Will in the rearview, “ya, someone threw up, but it’s fine. Just don’t touch it, I’m going to clean it up when I get home,” and then back to the road, “Benny, can I use your pressure washer?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sure thing, Danny. Is that all you called for?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No! I was actually calling because Will here went to Samwell.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, Samwell. Got a Wellie in your car, Danny. Better roll out the red carpet and get your tuxedo on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another hearty laugh. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know, right? I feel like a fucking goon. Anyway, didn’t Patricia’s nephew go to Samwell?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who, George?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s it, George! Didn’t he go to Samwell?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, he went to Yale.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yale! Yale. That’s it. Well, thanks anyway Benny, I’ll come get that pressure washer when I get home.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds good, Danny. Take it easy you fucking idiot.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The tell-tale hang-up noise signaled the end of the call. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He went to Yale, not to Samwell.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I heard. People get them--they get confused all the time.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya, once you get into those upper-level schools I just kinda check out. Whaddya study there? Wait, lemme guess--”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please don’t,” Will began, “Computer Science. I studied Computer Science.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ahh ya good with computers, huh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Allegedly.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ya know, maybe ya can help me. The missus got me an iPad for Christmas and I can’t for the life of me get it to work.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will briefly considered this current fork in the road of their conversation. Figuring he was already in this deep, he trudged down the road less traveled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s wrong with it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I have to hold it so it’s tall ya know? I can’t hold it wide. I sometimes wanna lay down on the couch and watch shit on there but I have to hold it above my face and it’s fallen so many times, I’m surprised I haven’t broken my nose.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, you--uh-- you can change that. If you swipe down where the battery percentage is, it’ll bring up some widgets.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the fuck is a widget?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“An icon-- sorry, some icons will pop up. You’ll see uh--” Will checked on his own phone to double-check, “you’ll see a lock with a circular arrow around it, like, uh, this”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will reached his phone into the front and showed Daniel the screen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And, uh, if you tap that, it’ll either lock it in the orientation you want or change depending on how you’re holding it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No fucking way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes-- uh-- yes fucking-- fucking way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m going to try that when I get home. Thank you, Will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No problem. That’s essentially what I do for my job.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You an IT guy?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Web developer, actually, but people in the office tend to come to me with their tech issues. So, uh, unofficial IT guy, I guess.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well ya helped me out that’s for sure.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will smiled to himself, “You’re welcome, Daniel.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He then looked out of the car window and noticed they were at his building. That was quick. Had they really been talking that long?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, we’re here Will. Willy boy. Bill.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Will’s fine, but, ah, thank you. That was a quick ride.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Daniel chuckled, “it goes by pretty quick when ya talking to someone, I’ve figured.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will nodded, agreeing with the irrefutable evidence. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And, uh, hey, if you wouldn’t mind giving me 5 stars, I’d really appreciate it. Trying to get more rides so we can help DJ out with school.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Again, Will absentmindedly nodded. He stepped out of the car, opened the Uber app, rated Daniel 5 stars, noted there was good conversation, and tipped him 50% of the cost of the ride. He began to walk towards the door of his building when he heard Daniel shout through an open window, “Oh, and, go Sox, huh!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will turned around and couldn’t help himself. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Go Sox.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>///</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He propped his left leg on the coffee table in front of him. Finally, he would look through his phone to get some idea of what happened last night. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Messages were first. He now had 68 unread messages in the 5 different conversations. He tapped on the unsaved number first. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>617-848-5555</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>hey</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>hey is this will? from grindr? </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t respond, and deleted the thread. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Next, he picked Keegan’s thread. Ugh. Keegan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Keegan (DO NOT ANSWER)</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Why don’t you come over here baby? I’ll take care of that problem for you...😛😛😛</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will scrolled up to see what had prompted this...gem...of a message. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hiiiiii</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>What’s up?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Keegan (DO NOT ANSWER)</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hey you. I’m at a bar but that can change. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Why?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I’m horny and want to sit on your dick. Among other things. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whaaaaat the fuck,” Will chided his past self.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Keegan (DO NOT ANSWER)</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Oh ya 😏 Lemme see how horny you are baby</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will then scrolled past six (six!) different pictures he had sent. It was definitely his freckled body. Without clothes. He exited the conversation and deleted this conversation thread as well. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>65 more messages. Bitty, Chowder, and his mom were left. He briefly debated who would be easiest to respond to before he realized it was Chowder. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He navigated to the conversation and quickly realized the message notifications now said 5. He scrolled up to the top and prepared for the stream of consciousness that is Chowder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hi!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Hi Willll!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Hi!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Are you okay?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Like, really okay?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Not like when you ask that out of kindness</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Like actually really okay</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Bitty told me to check in on you </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Said something about thirst traps????????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Listen I’m 100% supportive of you being sexual</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Like go sleep with whoever you want </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Whomever? Whoever?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I don’t know</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>ANYWAY</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Sleep with who you want to</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>But like safely of course</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Condoms and prep</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>But like get after it!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Anyway are you good?????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I bet you’re with someone now</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Maybe I should stop messaging…..</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a brief break for about 4 minutes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Okay so I checked find my friends</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I don’t know that place you’re currently at</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Maps says its a suburb????????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Are you in a suburb?????????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Why are you in a suburb?????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Oh wait you’re hooking up with someone probaly</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Or maybe at a barbecue!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I love a barbecue</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Jack and Bitty’s was so fun!!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>For Memorial Day!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Ugh those sliders were so good</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Did you have any???????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>They SMACKED</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>OKAY ANYWAY</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>***probably</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>That was a typo earlier LOL</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Please be safe :-(((((((</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>What would I do without you :-(((((((((((((((((((</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Text when you get this</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Or call</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Or FaceTime!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Just make contact when you get this????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Please???????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Again, another break. Then, from this morning. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>WILL</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I AM OFFICIALLY WORRIED</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>IS YOUR PHONE OFF???????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Please text when you get this</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Or call</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Or FT</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Whatever is most comfortable</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I’m not gonna judge I promise</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I just wanna know you’re safe</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>You’re the only guy I’ve ever slept with </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>God what a strange night that was</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Not because it was bad!!!!!!! </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>You give great head!!!!!!!! </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Better than Caitlin 😳😳😳</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>But don’t tell her that please</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>PLEEEEEASE </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was the last message, received sometime along the car ride with Daniel. He opted for a text. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hi, Chris. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I’m fine. I just had a bad night.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>You know how I get.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>But I’m safe now. At home. Trying to do some damage control. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Don’t tell Bitty I texted you first, please. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>And that was a strange night.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>And I will keep it a secret from Caitlin. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for being concerned. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As he was typing the next message, Chris’ chat bubble popped up. There was a rapid fire of reponses. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>WILL</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>OMG you’re safe</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank GOD</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>What happened?????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>And I promise I won’t tell Bitty!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>But you better text him!!!!!! </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>He’s like an iced coffee away from filing a missing persons……..</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>And thank you for promising not to tell Caitlin!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Not that I’m ashamed of it!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>What we had that night was beautiful!!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I’ll text him here in a second. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I just...had a bad night. Wasn’t drunk or anything but kinda blacked out.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Don’t remember much. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I think I slept with a few guys last night.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>😖😖😖</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Like, I definitely slept with a few guys. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I don’t know why I said “I think.”</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>That’s okay Will!!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Don’t be ashamed!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Kinda worried you blacked out tho tbh…….</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Yeah, me too. It’s like what happened after finals Junior year.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Remember?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>That wasn’t great....</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Not great, Bob.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Anyway. Trying to see what exactly happened.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Dinner later? Or sometime this week?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I could use it…</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Sure!!!!!!!!! </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Tonight’s good!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Text me when and where!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Will do. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Could I invite Bitty?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Please!!!! </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>I’d love to see him!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Yeah, me too. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Oh, and Chris?</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Yes, Will??????????????</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p><strong>You’re still top 3.</strong> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I know 😊😊😊</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>You’re my top 1 for guys!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Def top 3 overall, too!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Cocky. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Well, I’ll text you later, Chris.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you again for your concern. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Chowder 😄😄😄</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Of course!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Looking forward to it!!!!!!!</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will exited the conversation with Chris and then saw 5 messages left between Bitty and his mother. He figured his mom wouldn’t have been as concerned with his disappearance. She probably hadn’t noticed anything was amiss. There was only one message from this morning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Molly Poindexter</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hey, hon. Got the notification the package from Pap’s estate arrived at your apartment. Let </strong>
  <strong>me know when you open it. Would love to see what he left you. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Short and sweet. Like his mom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As he read the message, “package from Pap’s estate” kept popping out. Pap had died 4 months ago, last Friday. Will had gotten the first part of his effects from the will shortly after his death, but Pap was a deeply mysterious and quirky man. The extent of his eccentricities was discovered in five different storage units across the entire state of Maine and one unit in Binghamton, New York. Most of it, according to a conversation he had with his mom a few weeks ago, was parts Pap had kept for his auto shop and “files” that were almost useless. Pap was left-handed and was known to write his files “mirrored” onto the paper. What a strange guy. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was in that sixth unit in Binghamton that the last of Will’s effects were located. It was 6 good-sized boxes that smelled vaguely of Pap. This smell, plus the boxes themselves had sent Will spiraling since he had received them yesterday afternoon. This spiral led to what Will and his therapist have labeled “intentionally destructive behavior.” Much more to unpack there. Literally. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But first, Bitty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He tapped onto Bitty’s conversation. Only 4 new messages. Three from last night, one from this morning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Bitty (ICE) 💅😍💞 </em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Will, did you mean to post that on Twitter???</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He made the mental note to navigate to Twitter after getting through these messages.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Will, I’m all for a thirst trap but this feels like you’re spiraling…</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Please don’t do anything too crazy tonight!!! I’m tracking your location. Let me know if you’re in trouble. Or have me call if you need an excuse to get out. </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then the message from this morning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Bitty (ICE) 💅😍💞</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Willlll please respond I’m getting worried. Are you okay??? What did you end up doing???</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Me</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hi, Bitty.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not two seconds after it was delivered, Will’s phone screen popped up with the option to accept a FaceTime from Bitty. He tapped the green button and waited for Bitty’s familiar face to pop up on the screen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“William. Jacob. Poindexter. I could fucking kill you right now,” Bitty was leaning on his kitchen counter, staring at his phone intensely. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hi, Bitty,” Will offered meekly. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the hell? I mean like, what the actual hell?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Like shit you don’t know. You post an ass pic on Twitter, flirt with every guy that responded to that picture, and then tweet about your different interactions on Grindr.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will could tell Bitty was mad by the amount of unchecked cursing he was speaking. Usually, he’d drop in a pardon my French either before or after. There was no French to be excused here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You were right.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You were spiraling?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I was spiraling.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bitty huffed, then shifted his tone, “what happened, sweetheart?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will avoided eye contact with Bitty, “I got 6 more boxes of stuff from Pap. Or, I guess from his estate. He couldn’t send it to me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hmm,” he hummed, “Do you know what’s in it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nope. I just signed for the packages and now they’re sitting in my storage closet. I couldn’t-- I couldn’t look at them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh Will, honey,” Bitty started. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But, that was obviously enough to send me spiraling. Pretty sure I started with that tweet. Then downloaded Grindr. Haven’t checked either of those, yet, so-- so I don’t know the full extent of the damage.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bitty smiled softly, “it’s not terrible. I was exaggerating. Just a little. You responded to like 3 guys who replied to the tweet.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will exhaled through his nose, “I’m glad. I didn’t want hella notifications.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, you-- you will. I’m pretty sure the picture had a ‘k’ on the likes. You’ve got a nice ass, honey.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will held up his head with his left hand, “shit.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m serious. It’s a good picture too.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Should I delete it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Only if you want to,” Bitty offered, “might be a little fun spice to have on your profile.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll think about it. I’m deleting Grindr, though.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Probably a good call. Nothing but trouble on there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re right.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a brief silence, then, “Will, seriously, I’m glad you’re okay. I know you don’t really have control in these spirals but being an outside observer of this makes me more anxious than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will chuckled, and it quickly fell to a concentrated frown, “I know, Bitty. I’m sorry. I really am.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s okay, honey. What’re you up to today?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He thought briefly, “damage control, first. Maybe some self-care. Chowder and I are doing dinner. I would-- I would like it very much if you could also be here.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bitty smiled, “I’d love nothing more.” Bitty then pushed himself off of the counter and carried Will to his and Jack’s bedroom. “I’m bringing an overnight bag. I’m not doing that drive twice in a day.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Jack’ll be fine?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Listen, they’re in a playoff push right now. He’s converted the home theatre into his tape-watching room and I’ve only seen him leave it to eat, shit, and go to work.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds like Jack,” Will smiled, “anyway, I’m glad you’re coming.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I am, too! Now, focus, I’m packing my bag right now, got a Skype interview in about an hour, but then I’m heading up there. Expect me by like 1. If you’re feeling especially nice, I wouldn't hate a glass of pinot grig.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course, Bits.”</p>
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